2026! New Year, New Home Design Approach!

The new year is upon us! Folks all around the world take this time especially to make plans to set the stage towards new beginnings and to make changes in their lives, mind, body and soul... and also in their homes! Interestingly enough, those things definitely are intertwined.

If you are needing a change or looking to update your home in any way... or to start a new construction or new build, your role as a client is VERY SIMPLE. The best thing that you can do, prior to the design process is to take a kind of inventory of you life as it relates to your dwelling spaces. This is absolutely what a designer does as part of their job in the early stages of arriving at the correct design solutions. So, if you complete this list/exercise independently, it is one of the best ways to gain an understanding of how your surroundings can support your daily life. It also gives a small glimpse into how parts of the design process works.

Often times it is as simple as relaying to your designer a list of things that you are not happy with in your current space. How does it make you feel. How do you WANT it to make you feel? What are you lacking in the space? What kinds of things do you want to be able to do in your home moving forward? What are the things that are present that are NOT useful or do NOT serve you in any way.

FIRST: Create your own personal audit guide, such as:

*How does the current space make you feel?

*How do you WANT it to make you feel?

*What is the home / space missing?

*What tasks/functions/activities are you wanting to participate in, but can NOT because the space/home does not currently support that?

*What items/elements are present in the space that are NOT used/needed/helpful or serving you.

*What are your priorities a far as how you live your life on the daily? How do you function? Routine? Habits? Hobbies?

*What is the dynamic of your household?

(Children? Pets, what kind? Allergies? Sensory sensitivities to light, sound, chemicals? Household caretakers? Physical ability level? etc.)

*Are there environmental considerations?

*Do you entertain frequently in the space or spaces?

You get the idea. Uncovering all of these things is extremely important to ensure that the project is heading into the right direction from the word go.

NEXT: You should feel welcome and prepared to share your thoughts and preferences for things such as color, pattern and texture (if you have an opinion) this means what is appealing to you and ALSO what is decidedly very UN-appealing to you. It can also be helpful to share thoughts, photos of things that are inspiring, of course.

It will be your designer's job to do the heavy lifting. Deciding which products and materials are best for the needs of the space. What will perform best. How the spaces are best designed, layouts, details. It's both creating solutions to various needs... while balancing the space aesthetically in a good design sense that make SENSE for the contextual forces of the project that can not be changed (this is mostly true in remodels and NOT new construction projects)

NEW YEAR'S TRADITION: The time old tradition of de-cluttering a space in the new year and participating in an annual purge is a great way to reduce the visual chaos and pave the way for the incoming style revisions / remodels you are working towards. It doesn't have to be on the level of the current viral Swedish death cleaning! Even taking measures to pare back in the smallest way can make a big difference!

REFLECTION OF CHANGE: A few things to ponder:

What rooms and projects have you been putting off?

How will your life potentially change in a positive way if you complete a space/home transformation?

What can you do to start that process now to ensure that you make and keep it a priority?

What is your realistic timeline of completion of your project?

Who can help you accomplish your space/home transformation goal/s?

Reach out to schedule your design discovery call today!

Cheers to beautiful changes in the year to come!

~ A. O.